AFRICA – The Kenya Tourism Board has lent its support to a MICE seminar organised by Reed Exhibitions for its Magical Kenya Travel Expo 2013 next month. This comes at a time when the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) Secretary General Taleb Rifai has called for support from the international tourism community following the recent terrorism attack in Nairobi.
A terrorism attack by Somalia-based Al-Shabaab on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi recently killed 67 people and resulted in the US government renewing its travel alert against making trips to Kenya. “The levels of risk vary throughout the country,” the US State Department said in a statement. “Terrorist acts can include suicide operations, bombings, kidnappings, attacks on civil aviation, and attacks on maritime vessels in or near Kenyan ports.”
The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the travel warning, saying it is “unnecessary and uncalled for”.
Since the attack two MICE industry events have been held in the country: The Eco Tourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC) and African Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF).
The Magical Kenya Travel Expo 2013 will officially kick off on 18 October and run until 20 October, although the official programme for the event starts with the World Travel Awards 2013 ceremony on the evening of 16 October, followed by the full-day seminar on 17 October.
The seminar, to be held at Nairobi’s Stanley Hotel, will be organised in conjunction with Reed’s European Incentives, Business Travel and Meetings (EIBTM) exhibition, held annually in Barcelona, Spain, and motivational meetings association, SITE.
Reed has signed up speakers such as Huw Tucket from SITE and Jill Henry, recently retired from the Sarawak Convention Bureau for the seminar. Local tourism expert, Tasneem Adamji, will focus her presentation on how to prepare incentive proposals for East Africa and ultimately deliver a programme.
Tucket will speak on global incentive industry trends, and the different types of ‘rewards’ from cash to travel, while Henry, who is also a former Director of the Perth Convention Bureau, will speak on ‘The Potential and Value of International Conferences and Incentive Business for East Africa’. This will include discussing the role of the PCO in winning international conferences.
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